EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

COMMERCIAL interior design firms rebounded following a down year in 2003. Billings at the 25 largest firms increased to $107.4 million, up 8.6 percent from the previous year. Employment was up by 37 designers to 556. A total of 20 firms reported 2004 L.A. County billings equal to or greater than their 2003 totals.

Nadel Architects Inc. debuted at No. 16 on this year's list with $2.5 million in 2004 billings locally, up 127.3 percent from the previous year. The L.A.-based firm's projects include Los Angeles Air Force Base and Diagnostic Product Corp.'s headquarters. Los Angeles-based Environetics Group, No. 13, moved up 12 spots after billings increased 107.1 percent to $2.9 million.

Shlemmer+Algaze+Associates Interiors and Architecture, No. 5, and Wolcott Architecture Interiors, No. 7, each moved up three spots, increasing billings by $1.2 million and $1.1 million, respectively.

WWCOT Interiors, No. 11 this year, reported the largest decrease in 2004 L.A. County billings compared with the previous year. The Santa Monica-based firm slid seven spots after billings fell by $3 million, or 48.4 percent, to $3.2 million.

David Nusbaum

PACESETTER

GENSLER

THE San Francisco-based architectural grant continues to sit atop the list of largest commercial interior design firms doing business in Los Angeles County, reporting local billings of $19.7 million in 2004, up $3.3 million from the previous year.

"There is a large diversity of new projects," said Barbara Dunn, a Gensler principal who heads the firm's L.A. workplace interiors practice area.

The industry rebounded last year following an off-year in 2003, and has remained strong. Dunn expects the resurgence of interior design work to continue, but she has concerns about higher construction costs that may spike due to Hurricane Katrina.

Gensler's most recent completed project locally was the 160,000-squarefoot offices for the Jones Day law firm in the City National Tower in downtown Los Angeles. Jones Day moved into the completed offices in July.

The firm has three ongoing projects in L.A. County greater than 100,000 square feet. Projects include a 250,000-square-foot project with the Port of Long Beach, the 180,000-square-foot headquarters for Creative Artists Agency that will be located in the 2000 Avenue of the Stars complex, and a 178,000-square-foot project for Yahoo Inc. in Pasadena. Gensler is also working on a 45,000-square-foot project with Nike Inc.